Railroad-tie-lifting jack



Feb. 18, 1930 I TORMO 1,747,330

RAILROAD TIE LIFTING JACK Filed Feb. 17, 1926 2 Sheets-Shea. 1

IY/T/VESSE'fi v INVENTOR.

v I 4 fl/KEA 5701924040 I BY 1/ I ATTORNEY.

Feb. 18, 1930. TORM 1,747,339

RAILROAD TIE LIFTING JACK Fild Feb. 17, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N V ENTOR. OWE/V 5701741040 A TTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 18, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE OWEN STORMONT, OFBURNSVILLE, MISSISSIPPI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH T SHER- MAN HINES ANDONE-FOURTH TO WILLIAM HINES, BOTH OF BURNSVILLE, MIS- srssrrrrRAILROAD-TIE-LIFTING JACK Application filed February 17, 1926. SerialNo. 88,893.

tively retaining the tie lifting lever in any desired adjusted positionwith the tie elevated to the desired degree, whereby manual power oreffort in maintaining the tie lifted is rendered unnecessary and thedangers of personal injury to workmen engaged for such purpose, areeliminated.

A further object is to provide a tie lifting jack which may be placedinto practical use without the use of additional special tools orspecial skill, and which may be readily carried about from place toplace as required.

Other objects will appear as the nature of the invention is betterunderstood, and the same consists in the novel form, combination 5 andarrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in theaccompanying drawings, and claimed.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicatecorresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a tie lifting jack constructed inaccordance with the present invention; v

Figure 2 is a side elevational view thereof;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view of the same substantially in centrallongitudinal vertical section;

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional View showing details of the jack; and

Figure 5 is a sectional detail View taken through the adjacent portionsof the tielifting lever and the associated keeper bar.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the present invention embodiesa base member or plate 5 which preferably tapers smaller in thickness toits forward end so that the same may be readily forced toward the tieinto the ballast for engaging the tie lifting lever under the end of thetie as illustrated in Figure 2, and pivoted upon this base plate 5 isthe tie lifting lever 6. The base plate 5 preferably has a pair ofspaced longitudinal ears 7 between which the intermediate portion of thelever 6 is pivoted upon a transverse horizontal pivot pin 8 so that theforward tie engaging end of the lever 6 projects slightly beyond theforward end of the base plate 5 for effective engagement under the tie.

In order that the forward lower end of the lever 6 may be more readilyforced under the end of the tie, said end of the lever is preferablybifurcated to provide a pair of prongs or arms 9 which taper narrow inthick ness toward their free ends and are disposed to engage under theend of the tie adjacent the sides of the latter. Means is provided foreffectively retaining the lifting lever 6 in any desired adjustedposition so as to effectively hold the tie elevated to the. point whichit has been lifted, and this means preferably includes an upright keeperbar 10 pivoted as at 11 at its lower end to the rear end of the baseplate 5 for longitudinal swinging movement, and provided in its rearlongitudinal edge with a series of upwardly undercut keeper notches 12adapted for selective reception of a pin 13, which is adapted forremovable selective reception in desired ones of a longitudinal ,seriesoftransverse apertures 14 provided in the rear .or handle end portion ofthe lever 6. It is thus apparent that when the forward end of the lever6 is engaged under the tie and the rear end of the lever is forceddownwardly, the tie will be effectively elevated, and when the tie hasbeen elevated to the desired degree, the pin 13 may be inserted in thedesired aperture 14 of the lever 6 and caused to engage the nearestnotch.

12 upon swinging the keeper bar 10 rearwardly for a slight distance andat the same time releasing the lever 6 so as to allow the pin '13 toride upwardly into the undercut portion of the slot or notch of thekeeper bar '10. In this way the tie is effectively maintained in thedesired elevated position with out manual effort and no workman isrequired to force downwardly upon the rear end of the lever, in whichposition such workman would 7 be subject to danger of personal injuryfrom glancing hammers and flying spikes which are encountered in tracklaying, elevating and repairing work.

The lever 6 has a longitudinally extending slot 6 cut therein throughwhich slot the keeper bar 10 passes, this construction eliminating thepossibility of the keeper bar slipping away from the lever.

In order to facilitate riding of the pin 13 out of the associated notchwhen the rear end of the lever 6 is depressed for releasing the tie andallowing it to lower after the desired amount of ballast has been placedthereunder, means is provided for yieldingly acting to swing the keeperbar 10 forwardly, and such means preferably consists of a helicaltension spring 15 connected at its rear end to the lower end portion ofthe keeper bar 10 above its pivot 11 and having its forward end suitablyattached to the base plate 5 between the pivots 8 and 11 as shown. Thepin 13 is preferably carried on the end of a flexible member 16 attachedto the lever 6 so as to prevent 1 its loss, and the upper free endportion of the bar 10 is preferably formed to provide a handle 17whereby its rearwardly swinging movement against the action of thespring 15 is facilitated when causing the pin 13 to ride into a desiredkeeper notch 12.

The rear end of the base plate 5 is preferably reduced in width toprovide a central bifurcated projection between the arms of which thelower end of the keeper bar 10 is pivoted, and in order to facilitatecarrying of the jack from place to place, a rigid bail or handle 18 ispreferably provided upon the intermediate portion of the lifting lever6.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the lever 6 is provided inits handle portion with a longitudinal elongated slot upwardly throughwhich the keeper bar 10 freely projects and in which said keeper bar ismovable in swinging longitudinally upon its pivot 11. This constructionresults in effeclieved that the construction and operation as well asthe advantages of the present invention will be readily understood andappreciated by those skilled in the art.

What I claim as new is 2-- In a tie lifting jack, a base portioncomprising a wedge shaped plate gradually decreasing in thickness towardits forward end having a plain lower bearing face arranged in ahorizontal plane, a pair of spaced longitudinally extending pivot earson said plate, said plate being increased in thickness between the ears,a rearwardly extending bifurcated arm on the rear end of the plate, alifting lever pivoted between its ends upon the ears about a transversehorizontal axis for vertical swinging movement, the lever including anoperating handle in rear of the pivot provided with a longitudinallyextending slot, and a keeper bar pivoted in the bifurcated portion ofsaid arm and extendingthrough the slotted portion of the operatinghandle of the lever, and means for detachably connecting the keeper barwith said handle.

In testimony whereof I aflixmy signature.

OWEN STORMONT.

tively bracing the lever 6 and bar 10 against lateral strain, and theapertures 14 in the lever 6 are provided in pairs for reception of thepin 13.

In operation, the base plate 5 is placed upon the ground adjacent theend of the tie and then the jack is forced toward the end ofthe tie asfar as possible so that the forward end of the base plate 5 and thelever 6 are forced into the ballast until the arms 9 engage under theendof the tie. The rear end of the lever 6 is then forced downwardlyuntil the end of the tie has been elevated to the desired degree,whereupon the pin 13 is inserted through the desired pair of apertures14 in the lever 6 and the proper adjacent notch 12 of' the keeper bar10, the latter'being forced rearwrardly to proper position for thispurpose against the action of the spring 15.

From the foregoing description iti'jlS bee

